Verstappen gets penalty points in difficult race

Max Verstappen received three penalty points to bring his running total up to eighth during a difficult Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Verstappen was on the fringes of a top 10 finish when he locked up into Turn 8 and had to make an extra pit stop for fresh tyres.

Verstappen dropped behind Jenson Button but exceeded track limits exiting Turn 9 to pass the Briton and copped a five second penalty and a point on his license, while he later ignored blue flags and copped a drive through and two further points on his license.

Verstappen has now amassed eight points, with drivers receiving a one-race ban if they accumulate 12 within the period of a year.

Should Verstappen collect four more penalty points before the Monaco Grand Prix next year, when two will be removed from his license, he will be suspended for one event.

"It wasn’t my day today," he said, after being demoted to 16th after his penalty was applied. "The pace was good, especially at the beginning, but it’s a shame that I locked-up my tyres into Turn 8 and therefore had to do an extra stop.

"From there on, my whole race was compromised and I knew it was going to be difficult to end up in the points."